A 16-year-old boy remained hospitalized after Florence County deputies shot him during a domestic disturbance call on Fulton Avenue in Effingham, in an encounter that sheriff's officials say began when the teen charged at them with a knife. No deputies were hurt in the exchange, and the shooting has triggered an independent state investigation into how the confrontation unfolded.
According to the WMBF News, Florence County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the domestic incident at a home on Fulton Avenue and encountered the teen armed with a knife. Deputies say the 16-year-old charged at them before they opened fire, and he was then taken to the hospital for treatment. As of publication, he remained hospitalized, and the station reported that no law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.
The sheriff's office requested that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division take over the investigation, a standard step for officer-involved shootings in the state. Per the same account, SLED confirmed it is actively investigating, and the case remains ongoing with no further details yet released about the teen's condition or whether he will face charges.
Effingham's Reliance on County Deputies
Effingham is an unincorporated community in Florence County with roughly 9,311 residents based on 2019–2023 ACS estimates and a median household income of $52,067 for 2024, according to Point2Homes. Because it has no municipal police force, residents there depend entirely on county sheriff's deputies for emergency response, a structural detail that shapes how calls like the one on Fulton Avenue get handled.
Under South Carolina procedure, SLED conducts independent criminal investigations into officer-involved shootings at the request of the involved agency, rather than at its own initiative. The agency collects physical evidence and interviews witnesses before submitting a completed case file to local solicitors, who then decide whether charges are warranted, per the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
A Third Shooting for Florence County Deputies This Year
SLED reported that the Effingham shooting marks the 30th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026, and the third involving the Florence County Sheriff's Office this year alone. That is a sharp jump from 2025, when the department was involved in just one of the state's 45 total officer-involved shootings, according to SLED.
The two prior incidents came in quick succession. On September 9, deputies fatally shot 40-year-old Nelson Boyd Chavis in Williamsburg County after a cross-county pursuit that began with a warrant stop near Johnsonville on Lake City Highway and ended in a shootout near Muddy Creek Road, as reported by Manning Live. Then on September 18, a deputy fired at a vehicle during a chase on West Black Creek Road in Florence, injuring the fleeing suspect, who was later treated at a hospital and taken into custody; that pursuit began after deputies tried to stop a vehicle tied to a robbery investigation.
How Deadly Force Decisions Are Reviewed
The Effingham shooting is under investigation by SLED.
South Carolina law draws a clear line between civilian self-defense and police use of force. Under South Carolina Code § 16-11-450, individuals using lawful self-defense can receive criminal and civil immunity, but the statute explicitly excludes law enforcement officers, per Justia Law.
Edged-weapon encounters have also surfaced elsewhere in the county this year. On April 25, the municipal Florence Police Department, a separate agency from the sheriff's office, shot a suspect who was holding a knife to a woman's neck during a hostage situation on Rushmore Loop, a case SLED investigated as the state's 13th officer-involved shooting of 2026.
What Remains Unknown
Statewide, officer-involved shootings have continued at a steady clip, with South Carolina logging its 28th of the year on September 18 in Lexington County, according to South Carolina Public Radio. That pace has kept the state on track to approach or slightly trail 2025's total of 45.
In Effingham, key questions remain unanswered: the exact circumstances surrounding the domestic disturbance call, whether body-worn camera footage captured the confrontation, and the teen's current medical condition and any potential charges he may face have not been disclosed. SLED's investigation remains ongoing, and its findings will ultimately determine whether local solicitors pursue charges or conclude the deputies' use of force was justified under state standards.
